The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-03-23
Woman and the Saloon.

Though the saloon brutalizes and de-
grades men. and increases the friction Of
all progressive effort immensely, the suf-
fering which it entails upon women Is
heavier and keener The material grief
involved Is but one phase Of the subject.
II the saloon wrecks thousands of lives
and homes, it, victims - o. ruin with
paralyzed seusibiiities. and when they
are iudicting most pain upon those who
love them, they are least capable Of real
izing the truth The liquor whose ha-
bitual use dulls all the faculties, extin-
guishes conscience, shame and self-ge-
spect, in the course of its destructive
work, and the hardened drinker viii sac
ritce everything 70 his master passion
without scruple or hesitation.
But the women who are doomed 90
bear the heavy burden Of relationship to
drnkards ard indeed to be pitied- The
domesticity from which few OF them can
escape forres upon them perpetu4. cxper-
ience 50 heart breaking. so revolving. that
their existence is but a pr1iong I'd Tragedy.
All the caprice. petulence. unra~1n. ~
ranny, brutality. enssniared by drink is
expended upon them. All the social
degradation aud modification of the pos
ition falls upon their heads The living
man chained 90 corps i-uotmore terri
bly, situated than the wives and dauEh-
ter7 Of the Saloon victims. Liquor eliui-
nates all the drIukrl- good qualities,
reinforces all ais worst vices. and having
thus transformed him. sends him home
To torture and abuse those whom It Is his
first duty to cherish and protect
At thesacridce ofher future happiness,
the wife may sometimes obtain divorce.
very often, however, her inability 70 sup
/ port herself compeis her to endure her
torment, or the reluctance 70 expose her
family To reproach constrlins her Co bear
/ everything. Ii is seldom that women
are So situated as TO bee able 10 resume d
ceIibacy life without submitting % Seri-
Gus hardship-, and herhaP- IN a majority
. of Instances they can secure o separation
only by facing desUtuton. There Is 10
I evil which operates 50 directly and with
( such disastrous potancy against the falal-
I ly as the saloon. in fact IL Is tine dire-t
enemy Of domestic happiness. purity, and
peace. Even in its miidest manifesto
Jieu~ it aGenates men from their homes ,
7 creates in them habits Of selfish indul-
F gence gives them sensual interests apart.
/ brings into competition with the innocent
+ recreation Of the home circle. coarse and
+ extravagaHt amu>ements. In It's more
I pronounced operation It stops at no such
tride- d. the production Of mere di-eom-
+ fo1, but proceeding without disguise,
turns men into wild beasts, and then lets
/ them loose upon their families. What
makes this especially shocking is that We
are still acquainted with It's truth, yet
I that We have hitherto tolerated it pas
sively.
/ The horrors to which drink exposes
women are worse than those Of slavery.
The sufierings Of the wives AMI daugh-
+ ter- IF drinking men are are more acute
and constant than most men are proba
bly, capable Of experiencing We all
know this. yet We 20 on calmly in the
old way. as If We even thought women
ought 10 be thus abused. or believed that
though the matter was pitiful. no help
could be- found for it-Gsprg. P1rsgt< al
fHrat.a